


Sunset's Afterglow

by Paigeshowe



Series: Tales of Light [1]
Category: Brave (2012), Frozen (2013), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: All Monsters are Fae, Blood and Gore, Canon Compliant (Mostly), Child in dangerous situations, Depressive/Lesbian Elsa, Discrimination, F/F, F/M, Like so slow it doesn't even happen in part one, Moral Ambiguity, Not all Fae are Monsters, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn Elsa/OC, Transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-22
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-05-02 19:26:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5260739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paigeshowe/pseuds/Paigeshowe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a two Queens, a Princess, a Chief, and Father Winter himself become stranded, they search for passage to return home. However, they learn the land they have entered is rife with conflict, different points of view, and magic. With the begrudging help of an experienced nomad named Tyra and her son, Sarriel, the group decides they will stand together and encourage the people of the Eastern Continent to free themselves from the tyranny of the largest country to the north.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Not So Easily Changed

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Everyone! To those who are following this fic from FF, I promise I am not moving again. To those who are new, Welcome aboard! I will warn you a little: this story will get dark. I don't want to tell you exactly why, since that would be spoiling it, but I will give warnings if a chapter could hold things that are potentially triggering, don't worry! I'll look out for you guys!  
> Anyway, on to the disclaimers! None of the Canon Characters are mine (Obviously), but Joseff and Heidi are not either. They are owned by NiightLight on Deviantart. Yes I got permission to use them.  
> My characters do include, Tyra, Sarriel, and a few that will be mentioned later. If you want to use any of them, please ask, and I may let you use them.

Chapter 1: Not So Easily Changed  
The throne room shown with sapphire brilliance as ice coated the walls in intricate designs. Golden columns rose from the deep blue tiled floor, and great purple, gold, green and blue tapestries hung between them, each showing the emblem of Arendelle. A red carpet still led the way to the wooden chair carved just as intricately with matching red seats to offer comfort to the royalty that would seat themselves upon it..  
Elsa worked from her place, seated on the throne, as two small children and a certain snowman came running into the room. The boy was just a little bigger than the little girl, and he was almost exactly like Kristoff, save for his teal eyes and more shapely nose. The little girl stumbled slightly, falling backward, but picking herself up quickly, keeping a bright smile on her face. Elsa smiled when she saw her niece, and she was reminded of when she was a child and played with her little sister. The little girl in front of her was the spitting image of Anna, only with Kristoff’s amber eyes. Her gaze turned toward Elsa, and she smiled warmly, only to have the little girl rushing over to her happily. “Auntie Elsa! Auntie! Auntie!”  
Elsa rose as her niece ran to and wrapped her arms around Elsa’s legs in a hug. The Queen felt a bright beaming smile spread across her face and touched her niece’s head gently. “Good morning, Heidi.”  
Heidi let go and smiled happily. “Good morning, Auntie! What are you gonna do this week?”  
Elsa went back to her throne and held out the small piece of parchment she had been reading. “Why don’t you tell me? I want to see how your reading is going.” Elsa smiled gently, pointing at where she had left off.  
Heidi giggled, then took the paper, holding it up to her face. It seemed that as soon as she tried reading, her face grew focused and her brows knitted together as she sounded out the words. “T-tomorrow… M-Meeting with… um… Prince… Eric of the…. Sowth-urn Is-less!” She stated proudly.  
Elsa felt a twinge of fear, the room becoming colder. Her eyes grew wider, and her heart pounded in her chest. “The Southern Isles, dear...” She corrected patiently as she tried to hide her emotions. She looked over to see her nephew and snowman still playing. “Joseff, Olaf!” Elsa called to them, and they came rushing.  
Olaf answered happily. “Elsa! Do you wanna play with us?”  
She sighed, rubbing her forehead slightly. “Maybe later, Olaf. Can you go get Anna for me?”  
“Yeah. Why?” He looked up at her with his innocently dark eyes. Elsa blushed slightly under his scrutiny.  
“I need to discuss something important with her. Okay, Olaf?” She stated, staying as calm as she could despite the obvious snow and wind.  
Olaf smiled brightly, then answered, “Okay!” and ran off. Her eyes trailed after him, and her niece and nephew stood in front of her.  
Elsa felt her heart sink. Maybe Hans had been different than the others. Maybe the rest of his family was decent. She inhaled. Or maybe they’re all the same and want to declare war. She let the breath she was holding out.  
Joseff’s voice broke her from her distant thoughts. “Aunt Elsa, are you okay?”  
She looked down to him, trying to conceal her feelings for his sake. Smiling weakly, she cupped his cheek in her hand. “I am alright, Joseff. I am a bit stressed but I will be fine.” She smiled broadly. “And Happy Birthday, Joseff.”  
He opened his mouth to answer, but couldn’t get the words out before his sister yelled, “Mommy!” Watching as she ran across the room, Elsa smiled when she saw her own sister enter,Joseff and I. Anna beamed brightly, getting low and holding out her arms to catch Heidi. The little girl leapt into her mother’s arms happily.  
Anna smiled and laughed, but when her teal eyes met Elsa’s, her smile faded. She placed Heidi down and jogged over, scooping up Joseff in her arms and tickling him gently, which lead to him laughing hysterically. “Hey Birthday Boy!” She kissed his forehead, then looked over to Elsa with him on her hip. Her smile faded, and she placed him down on the ground. “How about you three go and play in the gardens? Aunt Elsa and I have something to discuss.” The three of them looked at one another curiously, then ran out of the door, laughing and playing. Anna waited a moment, glancing back to the door silently. “And I mean go to the gardens!” Elsa heard the three of them groan in disappointment from the other side of the door, which got a slight smile from her despite her worry. The two sisters waited for a few more moments, then Anna approached the throne. “Elsa, it’s freezing. What’s wrong?” She laid a hand on Elsa’s arm in comfort, and Elsa did relax, even if only slightly.  
Elsa stood up straight, her right hand resting on top of her left. “You and Kristoff should take the children and Olaf up to see the trolls tomorrow.” Elsa felt ice form around her fingers at the thought of the first contact with the Southern Isles since the Great Freeze six years ago.  
Anna got closer. “I’m not going to leave you here alone to face whatever this is. Who are you meeting with?”  
The queen swallowed, then answered softly, “Prince Eric of the Southern Isles.” Anna’s body stiffened, and Elsa saw the fear and anger in her eyes. Continuing, Elsa tried to explain herself. “I don’t want my family to be hurt by the Southern Isles again. Please go to see the trolls or even just go into the village. They may just want to propose a treaty, but I want to be safe.”  
Anna’s eyes changed from slightly tearful to protective anger. She gave her usual angry pout, crossed her arms and had placed more of her weight right leg on her left. It was then that Elsa sighed, sat in her throne, and settled in for a scolding from Anna. Anna kept her stance. “If I had listened to you in the first place, Hans wouldn’t have been put in the situation he was in. Maybe we wouldn’t be as close as we are now, but we wouldn’t have gotten into this mess. It’s mostly my fault anyway, so I’m not going anywhere.” Elsa had turned her gaze downward partway through Anna’s speech. Anna cleared her throat, which made Elsa look up again. “We started this together, and we’re going to fix it together.” She raised an eyebrow and gave Elsa a serious look. “Deal?”  
Elsa chuckled slightly at Anna’s seriousness, a weak smile on her face. It wasn’t often that Anna scolded her. “Deal.”  
Anna relaxed slightly, worry coming to her features rather than the frustrated look she had moments ago. “Do you have any idea what they want to talk about?” Anna settled in for a conversation, sitting on the arm of Elsa’s throne. Gerda would have a fit if she saw Anna doing that, Elsa thought, relaxing a little more. It turned to worry again quickly, however.  
Elsa shook her head then let her head rest in her hand, the right settled on her knee. She rubbed her forehead as if trying to rub away a headache. “I have no idea what they want.” She sat up letting her hands rest in her lap as she took three deep breaths. Her eyes were closed, softly, the frost in the room dissipating slowly. She slowly opened her eyes and looked forward, a pensive look coming to her face while her hands settled in front of her mouth, fingers intertwined. Her gaze was distant, as if she wasn’t in the throne room at all, but rather lost. She exhaled, her eyes sliding shut. “What I want to know,” she said softly, “is why now?”  
Anna nodded. “I’m curious about that too.” She agreed, keeping her gaze on her sister. She had seen Elsa become focused before, but every time seemed a little different. This time, rather than just pensive there was something hidden underneath that you could barely see. Something hidden well enough that Elsa’s powers did little to show what her inner feelings were. She’s getting better at controlling her powers, Anna mused, letting out a small sigh. Anna observed that Elsa’s hands were shaking the slightest amount, and she felt her heart lurch. “Elsa?”  
Elsa turned slightly to give Anna her attention. “What is it Anna?”  
Anna stood up, smiling. “This won’t happen until tomorrow. We’re both going to be there, there’ll be guards there too, and you can easily defend yourself and me. There isn’t much we can do to prepare for tomorrow, so-” Anna looked down, her face bright red from her rambling and stumbling “um…” She took a deep breath. “We should go have fun with Joseff.” She had her fingers intertwined and down low, and her shoulders shrugged up close to her ears. “It is his birthday after all.”  
Elsa’s head snapped up at the fact that Anna thought they couldn’t prepare, and her eyes caught Anna’s. “What do you mean? We have to figure out what we’ll do.” Elsa stood, never breaking eye contact. “What if they want to declare war? What if they want to propose a treaty on neutral soil? What if they want to involve our allies?” She turned away, each of the sentences making her spiral into a deeper point of panic. She gasped and held her shaking hands over her mouth. “What if they want to propose a marriage to end the feud?” The sentence was muffled by her hands, and snow started spiralling around the room again.  
Anna grabbed her sister’s hands, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down!” She knew she had Elsa’s attention now. The fear in her sister’s eyes was apparent and the ice coating the room was red with her terror. Anna shivered, but didn’t let go. “If they want to declare war, then we will prepare our army and navy accordingly, and if we need it, we’ll ask our allies for help.” Anna continued, “If they want a treaty, great! One of us can go and settle it, and if they want to involve Corona and Dunbroch too, then they’ll send their representatives, and our countries set the treaty together.” Anna paused. “And they wouldn’t send Prince Eric if they were going to propose marriage.”  
Elsa gave her a confused look. “What do you mean?”  
Anna saw her relax and smiled weakly. “Hans was only on good terms with a few of his brothers, and the one he talked about the most was Eric.” She paused again. “He’s happily married with a teenage daughter. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to start all over, and I’m also sure his wife wouldn’t want to share.” Anna smirked. “Especially with you”  
Elsa blushed, giving Anna a look of disbelief. “And what about sharing with me is so terrible?”  
“Because all the guys love you!” Anna blurted out, shocked that Elsa hadn’t noticed.  
Elsa blushed deeper and looked away, her body making very inward gestures. “I’m not that great… They only like me for my looks. You have the personality and the looks.”  
Anna looked at Elsa with the most bewildered look she had ever given anyone. She felt a laugh building up in her stomach and couldn’t help her outburst of disbelieving amusement. Elsa snapped her head up in shock. “Anna… Don’t laugh…” She felt tears well up in her eyes.  
Anna stopped laughing and looked at Elsa very seriously. “You’re saying that you were always jealous of me?” Elsa nodded, looking away. “Elsa, look at me.” Elsa obeyed. “I was the one jealous of you! You’re so much beautifuller than I am!” She paused a moment, her nose wrinkling at her mistake. “I mean, not fuller…” She groaned, knowing her mouth got her into more trouble than not.  
Elsa gave a weak smile at her sister’s rambling. “You were always so much more active than I was, even after we opened the gates.”  
Anna smiled her goofy grin that made her eyes crinkle around the edges like their mother’s used to. “You’re silly! You’re the scholar, the athlete, the poet! I was a big screw up before everything that happened, and I know it!” She shrugged, blushing. “I’m still really clumsy.”  
Elsa relaxed. “You really think that?” Anna nodded. Elsa didn’t respond, but waited in silence. She looked over at Anna, her emotions under control. After a while, after they had calmed down and talked some things through in more detail, they rose from the ballroom and stepped into the castle. Heading to their main family room, which was all decked out in green and gold, with a large cake of the same colors towering on one of the tables. The children were already playing with Kristoff, who had lifted Joseff into the air and laughing happily. Anna rushed to their side and helped shower the boy in kisses and tell him that it was his special day over and over. Elsa gave a weak smile, but lingered in the door for a few more moments, taking a deep breath before stepping into the room and heading toward her family. Tonight was going to be fun and relaxing, but tomorrow, the real work would begin.


	2. Mastery of Tact and Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The meeting with the Southern Isles Representative creates friction between the sisters.

The morning came too quickly. Elsa hadn’t slept a wink, still going over every detail that she and Anna had gone over earlier in the night. She sat up in her bed, dark circles under her eyes as she stared out at the view she knew all too well. She rose, moving slowly to the window and sitting on the cushioned chest just beneath the it, watching the water in the fjord swell and lap at the shore around the palace. She looked up from the fjord to the mountains, seeing the sun barely peeking from behind them, making the world look like a torn gradient painting. She shivered, slightly, noticing that there was ice around her. She looked all the way around, panicking slightly and making the ice spread farther. Her eyes shut tightly, and she clenched her teeth, the effort to calm herself greater than she thought it would be. Her situation wasn’t helped when a small rap came at the door followed by Anna’s soft voice calling her name, no louder than a whisper. “Elsa?” 

Though the door had been opened so many times in the past few years, Elsa still felt the deep pang of guilt and sadness when she heard Anna’s voice muffled by the sound of the wooden barrier. It wasn’t until a few moments later when Anna repeated the process that Elsa realized she had just been staring at the door and hadn’t answered. Elsa jumped slightly, then let out a soft call of, “Come in, Anna.” 

The creak of the hinges really brought Elsa from her distraction and turn her full attention to her sister as she entered. Anna closed the door behind her softly, leaning against the door slightly and listening intently to make sure she hadn’t woken the children. In between her listening, she glanced to Elsa and gave her a big smile, and Elsa felt herself relax slightly in response. Anna really could make her feel better, even in situations like this.

However, there was a darkness that seemed to hang heavily over the Queen. It had always been present, but it had seemed to intensify as of late. Even before the news that the Prince of the Southern Isles would be coming to meet with them. She hated the horrid feelings and hid them from Anna and her family. It wasn’t their fault. It was never their fault. They were her light, but despite being happy to be with them, the darkness was always a step behind her. Perhaps this was why she was so cold. As Elsa sat up straighter, as to look more calm and collected, it felt as if there were weighted hands on her shoulders, pushing her down. She gave her calm and beautiful smile like a doll’s, while the looming darkness swirled just below the surface. 

Anna noticed none of this and advanced with her usual chipper smile. “Are you ready to meet Prince Eric?” She had a hint of worry in her teal eyes. Elsa saw the effort, her smile fading slightly. Her brow knitted with concern at her little sister and a sadness swirled beneath. ‘She’s scared too and smiling to protect me,’ she thought, answering in return. “As ready as I will ever be. Shall we go over everything again to be safe?”

Anna nodded quickly. “Sure. Which one do you want to practice first?” Anna watched her sister ringing her hands slightly, noticing her gloves on for the first time since the Great Freeze. She looked up at Elsa with concern, and before she could answer Anna’s question, Anna asked another, “You’re wearing your gloves?” It sounded as if she was trying to make a statement but it came out wrong. 

Elsa looked down at her hands. “Y-yes. The last thing we need today is for my powers to go out of control.” She looked away. “It is merely precautionary, I assure you.” 

Anna narrowed her eyes slightly. “Quit talking to me like I’m some a foreign… um... p-person.” She paused, crossing her arms. “You can talk to me, you know that. Why are you so afraid?” 

Elsa kept her gaze down. “I’ll explain it later… can we just… practice for this?” Elsa’s voice was soft and weak. It made Anna look away too. 

“Fine. Later. We have bigger fish to fry, right?” Elsa nodded. Anna approached her and sat on the chest below the window while Elsa did the same. “Now, Let’s plan.”

********

Elsa and Anna both waited patiently before the large middle aged man they knew so well entered to greet them. “Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, the guest is here.”

Elsa nodded, standing up from her place at the table, while Anna stood and wiped off her dress. Elsa answered Kai while Anna was preoccupied. “Thank you, Kai. Send him in.” Kai bowed as usual, then left. The sisters only stood a few moments before a tall man entered. He had dark wavy hair that seemed to frame his face in a way, and his eyes were bright blue like the sea. He wore similar clothes to the type Hans had worn, the few differences being that the front ended with a high collar on his neck colored blue, while his buttons, shoulder ornamentation and inside of the suit appeared to be gold in color. The main suit was white, and blue trousers were worn by him as well as high black boots and white gloves. Anna recognized many similar qualities between him and his brother, Hans. They both had the same eye shape, and though Eric’s were not as prominent, they had similar sideburns. Only a moment passed in their observation, and Elsa kept her face straight. “Welcome to Arendelle, Prince Eric.” Elsa stated, trying to stay calm.

“Oh, um, Hi!” Anna waved modestly, making Elsa smile slightly. Having Anna here really made her feel… lighter.

He smiled warmly, then bowed. “And I thank you for your willingness, Queen Elsa,” he paused, “Princess Anna,” He waited for a moment. “May I be completely honest?”

Anna looked at Elsa, blushing slightly and wearing a worried expression. Elsa narrowed her eyes slightly, but stated. “You may.”

He nodded. “My father sent me because all my older brothers and he himself were afraid. I can’t say I’m not, but I merely wish for this dispute to be over.”

Elsa felt herself relax slightly, but Anna remained tense. The princess answered instead. “That is what we want too.”

Elsa and Anna sat down at their side of the table, while Eric sat at the opposite side. Eric smiled again, and Elsa could tell that this man was nothing like Hans. Anna had her hands tightly clasped together and seemed almost afraid and distrusting, something strange for the princess. He answered. “I understand my brother did a fair amount of harm to you and your country while he was here, and I would, firstly, like to personally apologize for his behavior. A queen in any aspect is still the authority of the region, and from what I understand, he also tried to harm your sister, correct?” He seemed to be speaking directly to Elsa and completely ignoring Anna for the most part. This made Anna tense, more so than she already was.

Elsa sat up a little straighter, glancing to Anna and seeing her discomfort. “He did harm my sister. He failed in his attempt to murder the two of us and usurp our kingdom.”

Eric listened, glancing apologetically to Anna, making her relax as that seemed to be the moment she believed her own words that Eric was different than Hans. “He stated that you have immense power within your kingdom, correct?”

Elsa tensed. Anna responded quickly to spare her, “Yes. Our kingdom is powerful, but it is mainly due to… Queen Elsa herself.” Anna waited, nudging Elsa under the table slightly. 

Elsa glanced to Anna and let out a sigh. “It is a very long and farfetched story.”

Eric answered. “My own story is quite farfetched as well, Your Majesties. I live on the island of Pacifica, one of the Southern Isles, and we had a tale that there were creatures of the sea much like people-”

“Mermaids, right?” Anna interrupted, almost excitedly. 

Elsa glanced to Anna again, chuckling slightly. “We have heard the tales.”

He nodded. “My wife was previously a mermaid, first before I met her, and then again before we were married. You see, she had bargained with a sea witch so that she could become human and meet me.” He kept his gaze on Elsa, and his intense eyes seemed to bore into her. “My daughter even spent some time as a mermaid as well, but she did the opposite, going to a sea witch to bargain for her chance to be in the ocean instead of remain human.”

Elsa did feel the story was farfetched, but her own story had taught me to be more open. Anna grinned widely and asked, “What are their names?”

He smiled gently. “My wife’s name is Ariel, and my daughter’s is Melody.”

Elsa felt a smile come to her face. “They have quite beautiful names.”

He nodded. “They do.” He paused, then looked at her once again. “My father wished me to be an envoy to propose a treaty. Though, I do believe that a consensus can be reached, I feel that on your side it may be hesitant, with good reason.” Anna nodded solemnly, glancing to Elsa with concern.

She nodded slightly. “We will try to make peace for our people.” She paused. “Where shall this treaty take place?”

Eric’s face suddenly turned more serious. “The Mirrored Isles,” he stated. “It’s a neutral meeting place that I suggested be home for this event. It is part of Pacifica jurisdiction, so Southern Isles soldiers will have to listen to me and will not be able to harm you without facing treason.”

Anna seemed to relax. “Thank you… for doing that, I mean.” 

Eric gave a warm smile. “Of course. After all, we do want anyone attending to feel safe.”

Elsa gave a curt nod. “I shall be attending, as will representatives from our allies, Corona and Dunbroch. I’ll need to get in touch with them, and I can set a time to meet then.”

Anna shot her a glance, worry and shock showing in her features. ‘She’s going herself! We never discussed this!’

Eric nodded, bringing his hands up to cover his mouth. His left hand was in a fist, and the right lightly folded over the fist as if he was thinking. He remained silent for a moment. “So be it. I will be in contact.” He stayed sitting for a moment before both he and Elsa rose. Eric bowed and Elsa curtsied before Eric was escorted out by one of the guards that had stood by. 

Anna rose and turned sharply to Elsa. “What are you doing!? I could have gone to do that! Or Kristoff! What if it’s a trap!?” 

Elsa didn’t look at Anna, but kept her gaze on the door. “That is precisely why I will be going. I can handle myself. Besides, I will not be alone.” Elsa felt her heart ache. She didn’t want Anna to worry, but she also didn’t want to put Anna or Kristoff in danger if there was a chance of that. “If you or Kristoff go and it is a trap, then Heidi and Joseff would lose a parent. If I go and I fail, then you will become a much better queen than I am and have heirs to carry on our family. Is that not a better situation than the first?”

Anna looked taken aback, her eyes wide, tears welling up. “Is that what you think? That if you go and die, things will be better?!” She looked away, her arms stiff and hands clenched into fists. “I don’t believe you! Why would you do that to us?!” Anna stopped and looked at her, sadness welling up inside her. “Is that… why you’ve been so strange lately? You think… things would be better if you didn’t exist?” Elsa waited a moment, never once making eye contact. She looked down, walking around the table toward the door, her gloved hands clasped tightly together. “Elsa! Wait!” Anna followed her out into the hallway. “Elsa, Please! You can’t live like this anymore!” Elsa continued walking quickly through the castle, but Anna continued doggedly, not seeing the cold, distant look on Elsa’s face. 

“Enough, Anna.” Her voice sounded cold and emotionless. 

“No! I promised that I would be here for you, and I am!” Anna kept up the pace, trying to grab ahold of Elsa, but not quite able to do so. 

“I said Enough!” Elsa shouted as she ran into her room, slamming the door and locking it behind her. She hadn’t noticed that she had left a trail of ice, nor had she been able to look at Anna’s face. She had a her back against the door, her hands balled into fists. 

“Elsa… please… Don’t do this to me again…” Anna whispered, her voice clearly showing she was holding back tears. “Just let me in…”

Tears cascaded down Elsa’s cheeks as she took her face into her hands and slid down the door until she was curled against the wood. She hated this. She hated that this was always what she did, and ice filled her room, making it impossible to open the door anymore. She had failed again.


	3. Look at the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa, and the representatives from Corona and Dunbroch, head to the neutral meeting place to discuss the treaty, but meet disastrous consequences.

After seeing the Prince weeks ago, the representatives from Corona and Dunbroch, Queen Rapunzel and Princess Merida, had come to travel with Elsa to the neutral meeting territory, the Mirrored Isles. Merida was boisterous and informal as always, her dark green dress reflecting what commoners would wear rather than what a Princess would. Rapunzel kept close to them and wore a purple dress that represented who she was inside rather than her royal position, and she didn’t have any shoes. When Elsa saw them, she suddenly felt overdressed. After talking with them for a while Elsa looked to the harbor, fear welling up in her throat. Her parents had died on a similar vessel in a shorter and easier journey, and She knew the temperature dropped drastically when Rapunzel began rubbing her bare arms, and the two of her companions could see their breath.

Rapunzel put a hand on Elsa’s shoulder, giving her a small smile, and helping her over the gangway and onto the boat, while Merida walked behind quickly. Elsa took a deep breath, the scent of saltwater stronger than it would be from the castle. Then again, the stone walls that had kept people out of her home was larger than any other she had ever seen, and she rarely smelled the sea. The captain greeted them, bowing and stating that the journey would last several weeks. The temperature seemed to drop even more with his words, but Elsa kept her face as calm as possible. She agreed, then turned to the edge of the ship as the gangway and anchor were raised. Anna, Kristoff and Joseff stood on the dock, waving to me while Heidi sat on her father’s shoulders yelling to me. “Bye, Auntie Elsa!” I smiled weakly, waving back to my people and my family. When her heart felt suddenly very heavy, Elsa looked to Anna. She waved back to her, but Elsa saw in her stance that Anna was very uncomfortable. Elsa felt her heart almost break at how she had hurt her sister. She would have to make it up to her somehow, but she didn’t know how. 

The ship pulled away from the port, and they quickly pulled farther and farther away. Once Elsa’s home was out of sight, she headed down below deck to see Merida and Rapunzel talking to one another and laughing. Once she entered, Elsa sat down beside her provisions, silently. Her fellow queen looked over to her, smiling gently. Merida continued telling a story about her mother and a bear that didn't make any sense. 

“It was so strange! And it turns out tha’ me mum wa’nt the first tha’ heppened to!” Merida stated in her thick accent. Elsa noticed her toying with a vial of an honey colored liquid around her neck, the glass in the shape of a bear. Elsa observed this curiously, then finally smiled lightly at the little bauble.

“Wow!” Rapunzel answered. “I have a friend that looks like a bear, but I’ve never actually seen one.” She grinned and Elsa couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

Elsa tried to relax, blocking Merida’s voice from her head and getting ready. She sighed and just knew this was going to be a long journey.

*************

It had been a week since they had set out. Not much had happened. Merida seemed to get sick multiple times a day while Rapunzel and Elsa had long conversations. Elsa found Rapunzel to be quite charming and helpful. She had explained the situation between her and Anna, and she understood and stated that she recognized the way Elsa felt as she had seen it in many people of her kingdom. “They call it Melancholia in Corona.” Rapunzel stated seriously. 

Elsa nodded. “Is it… common?” Elsa’s voice was timid, definitely not like the voice she usually used when speaking to other Monarchs. 

Rapunzel made a face that suggested otherwise and answered, “Not that I know of. I don’t understand much about it, but we can research it when we get back to Arendelle if you want.” Rapunzel smiled reassuringly. 

Elsa gave a weak smile and merely nodded. She looked away, the usual sounds of creaking wood and lapping water were suddenly overcome by a gigantic roar of thunder as if the storm was chasing after them. Fear shot through Elsa, her eyes wide, and frost forming at her fingertips. Rapunzel looked at Elsa , then up to the deck where loud shouting could be heard from crew. Rapunzel jumped up, grabbing Elsa’s hand and taking the wooden stairs two at a time to get them to the deck. 

When reaching their destination, Elsa’s powers seemed to intensify, creating a layer of ice under her with every step she took leaving a pathway of frost as Rapunzel looked around desperately as stinging salty sleet pounded against her skin. Many of the crewmembers had been swallowed by the sea or harmed too much to help, and Rapunzel knew that they had to get off of the ship when she saw the captain’s hat blow past her. She spotted Merida’s mass of wild orange hair easily, but was met with resistance when she tried to pull Elsa. She turned, grabbing Elsa’s other hand and yelling over the rain, “Elsa! We have to get out of here!” Rapunzel yelled over the whipping wind of the tempest that sought to capsize the ship seemed to be nearing its goal. 

Elsa nodded, then ran with Rapunzel quickly, both of them grabbing onto Merida once they were within arms reach. She had a strange look that seemed to be a mixture of nausea and fear as she reached out and grabbed them as well. They stuck together, not letting go even as a great sound of wood cracking sounded, and the ship began taking in water. In a reflex of fear, Elsa let go, moving her hands outward and making a bubble of ice that encircled the three of them, and they all closed their eyes as the water swallowed them. 

It took them a moment to open their eyes, and realize that they were all right. They were underwater and watched through the ice as the ship and crew sank into the depths as they moved toward the surface. Elsa had to look away, placing her hands against their icy vehicle with her eyes closed and teeth clenched. Elsa heard a small sob behind her, and she turned to see Rapunzel with her hands held over her mouth in horror, tears streaming down her cheeks. Merida didn't make a sound, and merely stared into the abyss, shaking. Rapunzel grabbed onto Merida tightly, blindly reaching for Elsa. She grabbed a hold of her hand as they all watched as their bubble of ice surfaced. Elsa let out a breath, then let a few small holes cut through the ice for air.

It was a full day before land came in sight. Starving and cold, hope filled them. When the three of them saw smoke rising from the island, Merida prayed, for the first time in a long time, that they would be saved. They washed ashore within hours, and Elsa melted the ice around them. The ground was gravelly and rough under their shoes as they walked from the ocean and into the woods. “We need to find a village. There was smoke, so there must be people,” Elsa stated, her voice surprising her by being monotonous and cold. Her people had just died. She had watched her people, her subjects, her naval officers die in probably the same way her mother and father had. Ice formed around her, and she shook slightly before taking three deep breaths. With each breath, the ice dissipated until it was gone, and the thoughts had left her mind. Rapunzel came up beside Elsa and took her hand, which she gripped gratefully. Merida did the same to Rapunzel, and the three royals stepped into the unknown woods.

Merida seemed to understand the woods a lot better than either Rapunzel or Elsa did, and she kept ahead of them, her bow on her back, but her stance showing that she was trying to be careful. Elsa thought of Anna and Kristoff and her beautiful niece and nephew, and tried to keep them as ingrained into her memory as she could. She thought of Olaf and felt a strong foreboding fill her. ‘Am I too far away to keep his life-giving flurry power?’ She thought. She didn’t even notice that it had started to snow around her until Rapunzel touched her shoulder and somehow brought her back to reality. Elsa’s blue eyes met Rapunzel’s concerned green gaze, but she didn’t say a word. Elsa took another deep breath, stopping and closing her eyes, waving her hands to make the snow disappear. Elsa opened her eyes, jumping slightly when she saw that the snow hadn’t gone. She stared at the curious little pieces of frost, letting one fall into her palm and finding that She couldn’t manipulate it all that well, and she felt my brows knit at the strangeness of it all.

Merida and Rapunzel seemed stunned at the fact that this small snowflake wouldn’t bend to Elsa’s will as well, and when she looked up, Elsa saw the last person she had wanted to see. He stood among the trees, his stark white hair showing against the forest’s dark colors. He leaned against a wooden shepherd’s crook with ice along the handle, his strange tunic a bright blue and also featuring ice around the collar. His pants were a normal brown color and clung to his legs. He had a slight, awkward smile on his face as he looked at Elsa and said, “Hey, Snowflake.”

Merida and Rapunzel turned to look at him while Elsa merely stood her ground, her hands forming into fists and ice forming all around her. She looked away from him, her frame shaking. Elsa held out her hands, closing her eyes and trying to relax. She took three deep breaths, the ice not completely going away this time, but it dissipated more than she thought it would. Elsa raised her eyes to look at them, and she was sure her cold demeanor had returned and that they could all see the anger in her eyes. “Hello Jack.” Elsa returned the greeting monotonously.

Rapunzel glanced from Elsa to him. “Jack?” Elsa merely nodded, holding her hands together. “Jack Frost?” He nodded this time, a bright beaming smile coming to his face. “I heard stories about you when I was little from my mom!”

Merida laughed. “Me too! Me Mum loved yer stories! Are ya really the one that made Arendale’s mountains always snowy?” Elsa winced at how Merida pronounced her country’s name in that thick accent of hers.

“That’s me! Glad to meet people who can see me for a change.” He let out a chuckle.

“I wish I couldn’t,” Elsa whispered under her breath.

“What’d ya say, Elsa?” Merida inquired.

Elsa cleared her throat. “I said that we are looking for the village and a way home, so if you’ll leave us to our work, I’m sure you can be elsewhere dealing out your,” Elsa paused, feeling a frown come to her face, “fun.” She paused once again. “What are you even doing here anyway?”

All three of them noticed him falter a little. “I- uh…”

Elsa looked him dead in the eyes, her voice cold and icy as her powers. “If you came here to make amends, then it was a waste of your time. It is going to take a lot more than you showing up out of the blue and calling me Snowflake to fix what you did to me.”

Elsa began to walk past him, and she knew something was going to come from him, she just didn’t expect it to be, “The village is that way,” he still had that tone;The kind of tone that was mocking and comforting at the same time. Rapunzel and Merida followed him, silently and in what seemed to be complete confusion. It made Elsa furious to even be near him.

The trip was silent, and it was getting tiring to walk everywhere, but Elsa would rather walk and get away from Jack quicker than rest. It wasn’t worth it. Eventually, he lead them to the village, and they all found ourselves taken aback by the strange sight before them. There were massive reptiles in all directions, seeming very affectionate with the varying people throughout this village. “what is this place?”

Jack chuckled and replied with three small words. “This is Berk.


	4. The Heart of a Chief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup is different since the last time, but it seems that that's a good thing.

The morning started out well, the sunrise was well underway as the boy raced through the sky on the back of a magnificent black-scaled reptile. The clouds almost seemed to bend to their will as their speed only increased the more they rode. The boy looked to the side to see a young girl following far behind, her dragon having a hard time keeping up but trying anyway. She waved with both arms above her head to catch his attention, and he pulled back slightly, his dragon turning tightly and headed toward the girl and her dragon. The girl quickly leapt up in her dragon’s saddle, making a diving motion toward the sea, her eyes closed. “Come on, bud!” The boy yelled. The dragon dove in a freefall to hurry and catch up to the falling girl and at the last moment caught her. 

She grinned at the dragon and yelled, “Thanks for catching me, Hiccup!”The dragon made a grumbling sound, and the girl smiled. “And you too, Toothless.” She was sitting in front of Hiccup, facing him. 

Hiccup smiled warmly. “I’ll always catch you, Saga.” 

She blushed, giving him a peck on the cheek. “I know you will.” She smiled brightly. 

Hiccup smiled back weakly, then looked at her with concern. “Are you okay?”

Saga gave him a sly look, smirking at the question. “Of course I am, Hic. Please don’t start babying me.”

His eyes widened, “No, never!” He chuckled slightly, his face twisting into an awkward expression. 

Saga softened. “Are you okay?” She asked, pulling his face to look at hers. He sighed, relaxing slightly. “I mean… It must be hard having to marry Astrid and Eret after being with Astrid for so long.” She answered, her expression showing sincerity. 

Hiccup gave a weak smirk. “How is it that you always know what it is that’s bothering me?”

Saga let out a laugh. “Because this one was easy to spot. Astrid leaving you for the newcomer, as well as your new responsibilities as chief.” She looked up at him. “It’s been a tough year, but it’s behind you. At least, for the most part.” Saga looked over to see her dragon beside them, and she moved to his back, quickly straddling the lumbering giant. Toothless let out a purring noise, and Hiccup looked a little better. 

“I can think of a few things that have made this year worth it,” he answered, smiling at her gently. She blushed and smiled back, before ushering her dragon back toward the island. Hiccup and Toothless followed, keeping pace with her dragon and keeping an eye on Berk as they circled. Saga spotted some strangers among the trees, and pointed them out to Hiccup before they made their landing. 

Hiccup waved to his mother as she stood, seemingly cleaning her dragon, Cloudjumper. He smiled broadly, dismounting Toothless. Once Saga dismounted, her dragon took off in the direction, the three of them watching him with confused expressions. It wasn’t until a few moments later when Gobber showed up to explain the situation did Hiccup decide to investigate. 

********

Rapunzel let out a loud squeak-like noise and grabbed onto Elsa, peeking out from behind her to see one of the larger dragons trotting toward the,. The dragon approached, Merida backing away and taking up a position behind her as well. Elsa looked up at the beast, seeing its pupils were round and curious as he leaned down and sniffed her. Elsa closed her eyes, letting his hot breath run over her. She opened them again, reaching her hand out to his snout, hesitating for a moment, then letting her palm rest on his snout. Elsa took this moment to really take him in. He was large, bulbous almost, with two curling horns on the back of his head and one just above where her palm was on his snout. His limbs were short, but his legs seemed to support his weight well and his arms were curled close to his chest. He was a bright, icy blue with dark red splotches across his body and a large spiked ball on the end of his tail that reminded Elsa of a thistle. He let out a low sound almost like a cat purring, but deeper into the chest before getting closer and nuzzling her. Elsa let out a chuckle, moving her hand and stroking the side of his jaw.

“Oi!” A voice called, and it seemed Rapunzel and Merida responded more quickly than Elsa did. This creature may have been very strange and perhaps ugly by some standards, but he truly was a sweet, fascinating creature. Elsa turned her head to see a man with a prosthetic arm and leg, and what seemed to be a metal tooth in his bottom jaw coming over. He paused for a moment, his eyes looking Elsa and the creature over in a rather confused manner before recovering quickly and stated, “I never seen any of ya aroun’ here before.” He still seemed shocked. His voice sounded very much like Merida’s when it came to his accent, and this didn’t go unnoticed by the Princess of Dunbroch.

“We were shipwrecked not too far from here, and we were wondering if we could get any help getting home.” Rapunzel clarified, speaking gently, while still keeping an eye out for the massive scaled creatures.

The man smiled. “I see the dragons are puttin’ ya off a bit. Don’t worry about ‘em, they’re harmless.” He leaned over looking at Elsa again. “And it seems Gemtooth has taken quite the liking to ya.” Elsa noticed he had yet to acknowledge Jack with his gaze, even as he stood close to her. She looked at the creature, scratching under his chin. ‘Gemtooth,’ She thought. ‘So that’s your name.’ Elsa looked back to the large man as he began to speak again. “I’ll see if I can go get ya some help, just wait here.”

Merida nodded, and Elsa glanced back to Jack before scratching the side of the affectionate dragon’s jaw and keeping her gaze on his. “What are you some sort of celebrity here too?” Elsa jibed. Jack let out a sigh, and she saw him rub the back of his neck out of the corner of her eye.

The man returned with a younger man with a prosthetic leg and a woman holding hands with him, a small dark and sleek dragon with a saddle and what seemed to be his own kind of prosthetic following behind. The woman smiled brightly and let go of the boy’s hand. “Gemtooth!” She called, headed toward the dragon. Elsa almost felt sad when the creature turned toward the sound and excitedly nuzzled into the woman, letting out that loud purring sound. Elsa noticed that she had a slight swell in her abdomen that she recognized immediately, and they all looked to the boy respectfully.

He was tall, maybe even a little taller than Kristoff, and he had messy brown hair and bright green eyes, some of the strands put into small braids. He wore black leather all over his body with contraptions of several kinds all over him. He had a semblance of stubble on his face, and a prominent scar on his chin. His prosthetic seemed very advanced and interesting, helping him to stay balanced on his left leg. He seemed to guess that Elsa was the leader and approached, the dark dragon following. Elsa couldn’t help but stare at the dragon, then move her gaze back to the boy. “Hi. I heard you need some help?” He smiled reassuringly.

Elsa smiled in return. “Yes, we’re trying to get home. She glanced back down to the dragon. His scales seemed to glitter in the sun, and his bright green eyes were captivating. “Your um… dragon is quite beautiful.” Elsa stated, unsure of what these were for a moment and taking the other man’s word.

Hiccup rubbed the creature’s head gently, smiling. “Thanks. His name is Toothless.” He paused. “And I’m Hiccup. Chief of Berk.” He held out his hand for a shake, which she took and shook gently. His hands were calloused and rough, and his people seemed happy. It surprised all of them that someone this young could be a leader, but with how his subjects looked and how willing he was to help them, they couldn’t help but notice the palpable integrity rolling off of him.

“Queen Elsa of Arendelle. And this is Queen Rapunzel of Corona and Princess Merida of Dunbroch.” Elsa gestured to each of them in kind.

He smiled with a whisper. “And Jack.” He glanced over to where Jack was standing after he whispered. Elsa felt confused for a moment, then nodded almost imperceptibly.

Rapunzel nodded. “And Jack.” Merida noticed Hiccup raise an eyebrow before just letting it go.

He smiled. “I can lead you to the mainland and stick with you until you get home. On my honor as Chief.” He turned around toward the woman and her dragon, approaching and getting close to her. They couldn’t hear what they said, but afterward, he took her face into his hands, smiling warmly while she had tears. He wiped them away with her thumbs, then kissed her gently for a few moments, and Elsa looked away politely looking over to the other royals. Rapunzel was smiling giddily, and Merida was making a face similar to disgust. Elsa chuckled at them.

Hiccup pulled away, got down on one knee and kissed her stomach which made her laugh, and he rose again stating, “I’ll be back, Saga. I’ll send Gemtooth after we get to the mainland.” She nodded. He turned to them. “All right. You all get on the back of Gemtooth and we’ll head to the mainland.”

Merida stopped, looking him in the eye. “Ya wont us ta get on that?” Merida verified, pointing to the creature that had greeted the group.

The girl Hiccup called Saga seemed to take offense to this. “He. Gemtooth is a He, not a that.” Saga scolded. “And I wouldn’t trust another dragon to get you where you need to go.” She scratched under Gemtooth’s jaw, and he closed his eyes, purring again.

Merida held her hands up in defense, and the dragon laid down to let us board. I looked back toward Jack, let out a sigh and climbed up. This journey was going to be longer than I thought.


	5. Nothing but Fear and Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rapunzel and Elsa accidently put the homes of everyone in the group at stake, and a big decision is made.

It had been hours since the others had awakened. Once they had reached the mainland, the Chief sent the larger dragon back to where the group had come from, and they had settled down and slept before heading in some direction that, according to Jack’s instincts, lead to a place he had been many times before. The sun beat down mercilessly, beads of sweat appearing on all but Elsa and Jack. The others walked slowly, their clothes clinging to their bodies with sweat and torn in the royals’ cases. They all looked on the verge of collapsing as Jack flew without care, and the queen lead, looking back to the others occasionally. Pity filled him, and Jack sent a small breeze for them. The three of them let out small sighs of relief, all of them looking to him with big smiles on their faces. “Thanks, Jack,” Rapunzel stated. Jack smiled and nodded in return.

Toothless walked alongside Hiccup, helping him to remain upright. His prosthetic seemed to make him feel worse, even with the support. Merida looked up at him for a moment, a kind of pity and worry in her eyes. It surprised Jack how much she seemed to be okay with all of the new environments. He suspected that she was glad to be out of such confining circumstances.

A warmth filled Jack for the first time in 18 years. He looked over at Elsa, the warmth seeming to grow. ‘She’s so much like her mother,’ he pondered, the thought of her making his heart ache agonizingly. Jack landed beside the others, keeping a steady pace with his staff in hand. Rapunzel came forward, falling in beside him and smiling broadly. He glanced over to her, giving her a weak smile in return.

Her face fell. “What’s wrong, Jack?” she asked, her voice dripping with worry. 

Jack shrugged, keeping a steady pace at her side and looked forward, occasionally glancing to the product of his first and only love. The Ice Queen seemed to take notice, and when her eyes met his, all Jack saw was a deep resentment. Rubbing the back of his neck, Jack averted my eyes, letting out a soft sigh. Elsa’s sound of disapproval could be heard, even from the distance between the front of the pack to the back.

Rapunzel glanced between the two of them, her look seeming to be something along the lines of sympathetic realization. She looked toward Elsa, and Jack could see the wheels turning in her head, the comparison of her appearance to mine and our obvious connection, our powers, running through her head, he suspected. That paired with the way Elsa had treated him, it seemed to be something that needed no explanation. She waited for a moment, her eyes widening the longer she stared at Elsa. “Elsa- is Elsa your daughter?” she whispered softly. Jack nodded slightly, trying not to draw attention. She looked taken aback, then looked at him. “H-how?”

Jack hesitated, letting out a soft sigh and starting, “Her mother almost killed herself and I stopped her,” He answered, keeping pace. “We became very close and…” Jack blushed. “We became very close.” He kept up, leaving it at that. “She asked me to stay away since she was safe now, but when Elsa accidentally harmed her sister with her magic, Idunn asked me help her learn. Eventually her husband found out about everything and she asked me to leave.” His gaze settled on Elsa. “And my daughter never forgave me.” Rapunzel watched him, seeming to be captivated, and once he was done, she didn’t seem to have the words to respond as she looked at Elsa in a new way. Jack was sure it explained a lot about her that wasn’t clear before, and perhaps there was more to the story that she would want to hear one day, but he let her process what she had learned. 

Once the city was in sight, Hiccup told Toothless to take refuge not too far away to keep him safe. He let out a kind of deep purring sound, nuzzling the boy before heading to a group of large rocks. He dove between them, seeming to disappear, and Merida and Rapunzel giggled at the silly creature, and Jack couldn’t help but crack a smile.

As they entered the city, Rapunzel moved closer to the group, the inhabitants looking no better than those in the party. Many looked even worse. Jack saw Rapunzel grip her hands together, wringing them slightly. Merida seemed to puff herself up almost as if being bigger in a city like this would make it safer. Jack remained the same, knowing not many truly believed like the members of the group did. Elsa kept her lead, some of the children looking at her in wonder and happiness. Several of the little children leapt up and began to follow her. She smiled when they did, sometimes patting one on the head and speaking to them with soft, kind words. Most of the time, she answered their questions.

“Do you have any food?” One of the older girls asked, getting right to the point.

Elsa’s smile faded when she looked to the teenager. “I’m sorry, I don’t, but if I did, I would try to give you all some,” she stated sincerely. All of the children looked up at her, some of them looking like they hadn’t eaten anything substantial in weeks. Jack saw sadness fill her features.

Then the subject changed after a few awkward moments. “Are you a Princess?” one of the girls asked happily.

“No, actually, I’m the Queen of a far away land called Arendelle,” She clarified, her face brightening as she said the name of her homeland.

“Yowa so pwetty! I wanna be a pwincess too!” One of the smallest girls shouted, clapping happily as she trailed behind the Queen. Elsa smiled gently, placing a hand on her head and patting it softly.

“Thank you, honey… I’m sure you will someday.” It was a false hope, and Elsa knew it, but in the conditions they were in, it seemed like she was a glimmer of the hope they needed so desperately. Rapunzel and Merida all got closer to Elsa, some of the children taking notice of them too. Jack felt a smile spread across my face. Even though they were dirty as well, the children seemed to fall in love with the idea that Princesses, Queens and everything in between could be friends. Some of the boys had gone up to Hiccup as well, asking how he had lost his leg. He seemed to grin at their interest and began telling his story.

Jack watched on as the rest of the group gave hope to the people of this barren, dark landscape. He looked around, gazing to the parents of the children rushing to meet us as they watched from the holes in the sides of their ramshackle homes. They all looked right through him, and seemed rather suspicious of the travellers. Jack had been here lots of times before, and, honestly, the only reason he was still on this journey was to mend the relationship he had had with Elsa.

Rapunzel, seeing their hesitation, approached one and began to speak with her. Jack looked at her, staying behind to keep an eye on her, while the others headed on. She started, “Hello! I’m Rapunzel, and my group and I wanted to know if there’s any kind of transport or a map that we could use? We’ve gotten horribly lost.”

The woman she spoke to was thin and haggard and had deep, dark bags under her kind brown eyes. “I apologize, milady, but we have little as it is.” She gestured to the castle. “The only ones who have good pay are those closest to the King and the King himself.” She looked back to Rapunzel, her skin hanging loosely off her body from long bouts of starvation that she would never recover from. Her eyes were a dull brown, and I had a short flash of the same eyes, young and bright, but wide with fear. I grasped my head, rubbing it annoyedly, then returning to the conversation. “My husband was killed in a small uprising, and it’s just me and my daughter Gwena left.” She pointed to the teenage girl that had asked Elsa for food. Jack looked up to see her, the conversation seeming to disappear from his mind as he did. She was thin, some of her bones showing, her cheekbones seeming prominent on her face. She reminded me of Elsa a bit, her brown, unkempt hair framing her beautiful face. Her smile toward the other children was genuine, and Jack was sure if she had gotten any kind of food, she would have given it to them. She seemed vaguely familiar, as had the older woman. It bothered Jack intensely how much the two of them reminded him of someone, and then it hit him. “Emma…” He whispered. These people were related to him and his sister Emma. 

Jack ran a hand through his hair in exasperation, turning away and trying to hold back the pain. A light tap on the shoulder brought him from his daze. When he turned around, Rapunzel looked at him, concerned. “Are you all right, Jack?” Her bright eyes seemed to bore into his very soul for the answer, but she didn’t find it.

“I’m fine,” Jack answered, not really meaning it.

He could see she didn’t really accept his answer, but she let it go this time. Jack looked to see the group far ahead, and Rapunzel ran to catch up with the others, who were still surrounded by children. He kept to the back as they all approached the castle gates, and several of the children left their side. Jack saw a few of them stop to look at him, and he gave them a small smile, but when the sound of the dark, harrowing gates opening sounded, looks of fear crossed their faces. He turned back to the group to see Elsa and Rapunzel enter the gates, and they slowly closed behind them. Merida was making openly aggressive statements, Hiccup merely watching her angered statements in a confused way. 

Jack felt uneasy about letting the two queens leave, especially into a place he could only believe was corrupted. He leapt up onto the gate, part of it freezing slightly at his touch. His gaze returned to Hiccup, for he had looked up at the icy guardian, his eyes questioning Jack silently. Jack answered with, “I’m going to keep an eye on them. They might need some help.” Hiccup nodded almost imperceptibly, then put a hand on Merida’s shoulder. Merida looked up, then turned to see Hiccup, who was now speaking to her softly. 

Jack turned away from them, leaping from the gate to a small shed, then up onto the castle wall, quickly running up to a large window and settling on the sill to watch as the two of them entered. Jack looked toward the end of the room to see the king. The King was younger than I had expected, and was probably in his thirties. He had a sword on his hip, a bright red cape and a dark tunic embroidered with what Jack assumed was the country’s flag. The King had dark hair that was very neat, and it seemed he kept it in a long ponytail to keep it out of the way. His eyes were cold and hard, and they seemed to bore into the soul. Jack felt a shiver run up his spine from the mere presence of him. Stubble coated the King’s chin, and when the queens approached, he pulled a very wide smile, despite the presence of a woman to his left.

She was smaller and obviously younger. Jack could tell she may have been even closer to Merida’s young age. Her red dress seemed to cling to her form, save for the bottom, which flowed. Her smile was warm, and her golden hair seemed to wave, two curling strands showing on either side of her head. Her eyes were blue, the same as the King’s, and Jack realized they were related. “It’s his daughter or sister,” he mumbled to himself. She seemed very happy to meet the Queens, but the King’s earlier enthusiasm seemed to have dissipated. Jack saw that he grew impatient and waved his hand dismissively, which caused two guards to grab the queens. Jack clenched his staff harder, ready to burst in and take them if he had to. The girl, who he assumed was a Princess, rose angrily and acted as if what he was doing was horrible. The King glared at her, then seemed to mumble angrily and the guards released Jack’s comrades.

Quickly, the Princess ushered them out with her, but Jack remained. Noticing the open window, he slid in and lighted to the ground beside the king. The King rose, then walked to a table Jack had not yet seen. A map of the globe was spread across the table, and several brand marks lined the coast of the continent on which this country was. He sighed, then ran his hand over his face. “It seems that the continents across the Aoth Ocean need some lessons in manners.” He glanced to the unconquered countries of this continent. “Surely I must go on with my plan here. Then after, and only after should I head to this… Arendelle.”

Jack froze, watching as the man took the brand from under the table and pressed the burning object into the corner of the map where the country would have been. The king’s gaze lifted from the map, and his eyes met Jack’s. Jack froze and stared back before he quickly leapt up from the room, heading out of the window he had just entered and ran, not stopping until just outside the castle wall. The King’s dark hollow eyes had stared at Jack instead of through him. He doubted the King was a believer of any kind, and that worried him even more. ‘He saw . He really saw me,’ Jack worried.

******

Jack came back to find the others camped out on the outskirts of the city. Hiccup leaned against Toothless and a small campfire was lit near them. It seemed that they were all sitting around a large map and a small compass. As Jack got closer and landed inside the circle, Merida yelled out, “I don’ see it anywhere! Dunbroch can’ be that small!”

Rapunzel nodded. “I don’t see Corona anywhere either.”

“Or Berk,” Hiccup stated. 

“Or Arendelle,” Elsa stated softly.

They all looked up, Elsa glancing to Jack, before returning her gaze to the flattened map. Jack went over to them, taking up a quill he had seen Rapunzel had, and taking the map from them. There were several exclaims of anger while he went over to the edge of the campsite, settling down and examining the map and starting to draw in any missing landmasses he knew existed. Jack heard clamoring, and some insults he ignored, finding Arendelle and drawing it into the map. He did the same for Dunbroch, Corona, Berk and a few others he noticed weren’t there. Jack felt hands on his shoulders, and Rapunzel was gazing over his head. He exhaled, rolling up the map and handing it up to her, as she unrolled it and took it to the others. Jack rose, hanging on his staff with his back to them. The others were silent, and he knew they were staring at him. They believed he existed, but he knew some of them didn’t believe he could help. Jack sighed, then finally turned around. All of them but Elsa stared at him. The Queen of Ice merely kept her unphased gaze on the map. Rapunzel was glancing between Jack and Elsa, a weak smile on her face. The others merely stared at the map, then back to him. Jack was waiting for them to notice the-

“What are the marks you put on the map, Jack?” Hiccup looked up from the paper. 

Jack hesitated before turning away and answering, "They're the nations the King controls or that he plans to take over." That is when Elsa looked up.

“That can not be right. Arendelle has one of those marks, and he hadn’t heard about it until-” she stopped, realization coming to her face. She looked back to the map, her eyes wide.

They all had their eyes on the map. Merida spoke first. “So Arendelle is the only one of our countries in danger?” 

Jack kept to himself as Elsa shook her head, too distraught to argue over anything. “There would be detailed records of every ally and enemy.” 

Rapunzel spoke, “So Berk is safe at least.” 

Hiccup shook his head. “If they followed a map similar to this and were just told it was north of here, they would see Berk and head for it. Berk is hard to miss, even from a distance, and judging how many soldiers we saw today just by walking through the city, I doubt even dragons would be enough, but I don’t want it to come to war.”

Merida nodded solemnly. “E’eryone in Dunbroch is a warrior, and the surrounding clans Macintosh, MacGuffin and Dingwall, would join us in battle, but it won’ be enough…”

Rapunzel stayed silent for a long while. Jack sat beside her, knowing that right now she was the most supportive. He looked to the group, now silent. “There is a choice we have here.” Jack stood, all eyes falling on him. “You prepare each of your individual countries for war, or we prevent it for them.” 

Hiccup stood up with him. “By talking this out, right?” 

Jack shook his head. “I saw the way he interacted with Rapunzel and Elsa over as small of an issue as getting a map. There is no way this man will listen to reason.” He paused, walking away. “Around the time I was born, or rather, turned into Jack Frost, there was a war going on, and another soon after that. Revolutions. The uprising of the people against their government to save themselves and others from an unfair government or dictator. We need the help of the people on this continent who want to be free.” He turned back to them. “We’re going to start a revolution.” 

The group kept their view on him for a few moments. Rapunzel stood. “I agree with Jack.” She waited, looking to the group. “All those that agree say ‘Yay’.” 

Merida, Rapunzel and Jack raised their hands and repeated, “Yay.” 

Rapunzel sighed, “All opposed.”

Hiccup and Elsa raised their hands and stated, “Nay.” 

Hiccup smirked darkly. “It seems we’ve been beaten, Queen Elsa.” 

Elsa took a deep breath. “It does seem that way.” She paused. “You’re proposing to prevent war by starting one.” It wasn’t a question, but Jack nodded. She let out an angry huffing sound. “And what about our families and our homes?”

He looked her in the eye. “There are rookeries and ways to reach them, even if it is far away.” They all nodded.

“What about Berk?” Rapunzel asked, mainly talking to Hiccup.

Hiccup shrugged. “They’re all used to me being gone for long periods of time. It’s not like I’m never going back.” He smiled weakly. 

They all waited for a few moments, letting what they had decided sink in. What they were going to do was going to be long and hard. They all knew it. Toothless licked Hiccup’s face, causing him to laugh and break the silence. Jack smiled, and the girls laughed, Elsa merely sitting back and watching. Jack saw the slightest hint of a smile on her lips. ‘Maybe we can fix something else along the way too,’ he thought, hope filling him for the first time in years.


	6. Destiny Intertwines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group makes a decision to find a guide to help them on their way with their plan, only to learn that they know even less than they initially thought.

The town the group was now entering seemed to be filled with craftsman of different kinds, the smells of baked goods, burning wood, and sewage were the primary scents that permeated their way around bustling people, carriages, and carts bustling along the cobblestone streets. They all stood out, as everyone here seemed to be wearing brown, black or white, and the whole town was seemingly the same. Rapunzel stood awkwardly beside Elsa, the Ice Queen seeming greatly uncomfortable as the townspeople shot them odd looks. Hiccup and Merida seemed the most comfortable, besides Jack of course, but still kept close to the group. Jack smirked at how strangely they were acting then stated, “You know, you guys should probably find someone who knows their way around here better than I do. I don’t really follow the politics down here.” He stated, leaning on his staff and giving the group a look over, his smirk still present on his face. 

Elsa glowered in his direction. “And what makes you think these people would?” She motioned to the villagers, a few of them giving her weird looks. She glanced to them and crossed her arms, her eyebrows loosening and showing embarrassment since they saw her talking to no one. She frowned again. 

Rapunzel shrugged. “I think it would be a good idea to ask a local for help. Even if they don’t know the political climate, they would know the roads and how to travel better than we would.” She looked shyly over to Elsa, and the Ice Queen couldn’t help but soften at that. She nodded. 

Hiccup smiled slightly, cracking his knuckles, and stretching slightly as he was not worried about Toothless, who was safe just outside of town in a thicket. “So where should we start then?” He answered, allowing his gaze to fall on the rest of the group, eyebrows raised curiously. 

Merida, having been silent during the discussion to observe the people, stated, “I think we shu’ split op.” She pointed out in several directions. “The square is o’er there, the ta’ern is here, an’ tha’ way is abustlin’.” 

Elsa sighed. “So who gets to go alone? We only have five people, and one is invisible.” She seemed finally on board, arms crossed and brows raised, but more in curiosity and worry than anger or impatience. 

“I’ll go by myself. We can all meet back here in an hour.” Rapunzel volunteered, and though they all seemed to be a bit hesitant, the group agreed. 

Hiccup turned to Elsa, offering his arm and smiling good naturedly, “Queen Elsa, would you like to accompany me?” 

Elsa smiled, nodding and wrapping her arm around his. “How genteel of you, Chief Hiccup.” They laughed lightly and headed in the direction of the square.

Merida started toward the tavern, Jack following along behind with not so much as a word between the two of them, but not having a problem. Rapunzel was left at the entrance, looking around, then headed in the direction Merida had indicated as “abustlin’”. 

Rapunzel headed down the road, the villagers not giving her as many looks since she didn’t draw as much attention anymore. She spotted a bakery with the door open with a young boy sitting outside of it, waving to her as she passed. She waved back and gave a warm smile before continuing down the road. Much to her dismay, the way wasn’t as busy as she thought, and she walked for several minutes more before seeing a cart with a person working underneath it. Rapunzel approached, only to hear a low growl to her right, and as she turned to look, a large creature was in a crouched position, teeth bared. Rapunzel froze, taking the creature in. Whatever it was, it was large and seemed even bigger than Maximus. It seemingly had fur all over, and the few strands on it’s head stood on end making it look more menacing, and it raised its large feathered wings in a bluff stance. Wait, what? Wings? Rapunzel thought. 

“Skybound.” A voice came from in front of her, and Rapunzel turned to see that the person she had been approaching was a woman. The woman was wiping grease off of her arms and smiled warmly. “Sorry about that. She’s a little protective. What can I help you with?” The creature rose, going over to the woman and nuzzling her, and Rapunzel saw that it was a strange type of black, white and rust colored dragon with floppy ears like a dog and talons like a falcon. 

Rapunzel seemed to break from her earlier stupor and looked at the woman. “Oh! Um, I’m sorry I snuck up on you.” She took a deep breath. “I was wondering if there was any place I could go to find a guide to help me and some companions travel around the continent.”

The woman, stopped for a moment, turning to look at Rapunzel with one eyebrow raised. “What exactly are you and… your companions travelling for, miss….” she trailed off, waiting for a name. 

“Oh! Right. I’m Rapunzel.” She paused. “Um… well… we have some… very important business to attend to in… um…” Rapunzel’s brow wrinkled as she tried extremely hard to think of an excuse. During this moment, she finally took in the woman standing before her. She was tall, with average length black hair that was braided in a relaxed fishtail plait, darker skin that Rapunzel had not seen before in other people, and amber-gold eyes. 

The woman smirked. “‘Important business,’ huh?” She glanced back at the cart, then to Rapunzel. “Look,” she sighed, crossing her arms, “to answer your question, there are travelling mercenaries that you can hire, but they cost a pretty penny, and then there are transient taxes, and entrance fees for every country you enter, and all of them have to be paid up front.” She had her weight balanced more on her right leg. 

Rapunzel seemed to blanche, then looked away. “Um… thank you… for your… information…” She turned away, heading to the others, obviously worried and disappointed. 

“Hey! Wait a second,” The woman called. When Rapunzel turned, she saw the woman standing much more balanced and glancing to the cart. “Look…” She paused, letting out a long sigh. “I can help you out if you really need to do this… business…” She looked up. “But I would have some rules, and I would have to know what exactly you were doing.” 

Rapunzel perked up.”Really?!” She squeaked, her hands clutching together in front of her chest, and a bright smile on her face. 

The woman blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. “Yeah, really, but I’d have to meet with the rest of your group as well to discuss the terms.” 

Rapunzel beamed. “Of course! Thank you so much- um…” Rapunzel paused. “What was your name?”

The woman chuckled, smiling weakly. “I’m Tyra.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, Tyra!” Rapunzel smiled brightly. Tyra let out a breathy laugh. 

“Can you just give me one minute?” She asked politely, to which Rapunzel obliged. Tyra jogged lightly over to the wagon she had been working on, opening the back door and climbing inside. Rapunzel could hear her talking to someone, and what sounded like a child speaking back, and sure enough, when Tyra exited the wagon a few moments later, a young child followed her, shrouded from head to toe.The dragon bounded over to Tyra and nuzzled the boy, Tyra seemingly giving her a command. She trotted closer to the wagon and laid down, her head high. Rapunzel thought it was was strange seeing the child wearing a hooded cloak with normal clothes underneath, and a bright red scarf over his mouth and faded blue mittens on his hands in the summer. Only his bright green eyes showed, and he waved happily. Tyra smiled warmly at him. “This is my son, Sarriel.” 

Rapunzel smiled brightly. “Hello, Sarriel! I’m Rapunzel.” She waved back. 

The little boy made shy gestures, and answered with a soft, “Hello,” that was muffled by his scarf. 

Tyra put a hand on top of his head, then asked, “Where are your companions exactly?”

Rapunzel grinned confidently, raising her finger in a matter-of-fact way. “They are supposed to meet me in front of the tavern in a few minutes!”

Tyra raised an eyebrow. “Which tavern? There’s four.”

Rapunzel lowered her finger, her grin falling. “Um…”

Tyra shook her head lightly with a smirk. “You came from that way, right?” Tyra pointed to the roadway that Rapunzel had come down and she nodded. “Did you turn at all when you came here?” Rapunzel shook her head. Tyra gave a curt nod. “That’s the Tipsy Owl, then.” She headed that way, Sarriel keeping up behind and Rapunzel following. Tyra made it to the main gate first, and Rapunzel spotted Hiccup, Elsa, and Merida standing there looking dejected, with Jack resting on top of the town sign. 

Rapunzel rushed to them, smiling. Once she got close she stated, “I found someone who could help us, and she wants to meet you all.” She gestured toward Tyra, who walked up calmly. 

Tyra grinned. “Hello. I’m Tyra, and this is my son, Sarriel.” She paused and looked them over for a moment. “You all look starved. Come on, I’ll get you guys some food at the Tipsy Owl, my treat.”

She motioned for them to follow, Sarriel bouncing along behind excitedly and shouting, “I love the Tipsy Owl, Momma!”

Tyra smiled. “I know, darling.” 

The group followed her, smiling broadly at the thought of food, and Tyra sat down at one of the larger booths, Sarriel tapping his hands on the table and swinging his legs under the table. Jack sat on her left, Rapunzel sitting to the right of Sarriel, Hiccup next to Rapunzel and Elsa next to Hiccup with Merida filling the last seat at the circular table. Tyra looked at each in turn, finally making eye contact with Jack, who seemed surprised. Before he could broach the subject though, Tyra answered. “ Let’s get to business. I have one rule that trumps all others, and that is if you cannot deal with my son, I cannot deal with you.” A waiter came to the table, and Tyra waved him off for a moment.

Elsa looked at him, then at Tyra. “Why exactly… wouldn’t we be okay with your child?” 

Tyra looked at her, then stated gently, “Sarriel, you can take off your concealments.” 

Sarriel squirmed, pulling his hood down to reveal half-prick dog ears and small, budding horns, golden fur covering all of them. He pulled down his scarf to reveal a lion-like muzzle with darker brown fur on top with slits for a nose. He smiled, revealing little fanged teeth and reached up his hands to the table and took off his mittens to reveal little lion-like paws instead of hands. He grinned. “That feels better.” He stated brightly.

Tyra smiled at him, then looked to the group, looking at each member of the group. Rapunzel looked shocked, then smiled brightly. “Can I hold your paw?” She asked Sarriel directly. Sarriel smiled and nodded, giving one of his paws to Rapunzel who smiled in wonder. “Your fur is so soft!” She grinned, flipping over and touching his paw pads lightly and making the little boy giggle. 

Hiccup was leaning on the table, fascination in his eyes. When Sarriel looked at him, Sarriel seemed embarrassed and looked up at his mother. Tyra nodded gently. Sarriel waved slightly, and Hiccup waved back. “My name’s Hiccup.”

Sarriel looked at him. “Hiccup?” The dragon rider nodded and Sarriel giggled. “That’s a silly name!” 

Hiccup smiled broadly. “I know. Where I’m from, everyone has a name like that.” The little creature really did act like a human child. 

Elsa was shocked at first, but when she saw that the little boy still acted like a child, she smiled and stated, “Hello Sarriel. I’m Elsa.” Sarriel looked at her for a moment, eyes widening, then smile broadening. 

“Hi, Elsa!” He looked Elsa directly in the eye. “Are you a Princess?” He had both paws on the table and was standing on the chair, something making wagging movements behind him under his cloak. 

“Sarriel.” Tyra interrupted, seemingly uncomfortable with this topic. “What’s the rule?” 

Sarriel looked at her, then at himself. “Oh! Chairs are for butts, not paws.” He stated matter of factly and sat down nicely in the chair. 

“Thank you, honey.” Tyra smiled reassuringly. Elsa had a respect for this woman and how much she loved her child, even when he wasn’t her own species, let alone her own child. This was something special that she took quite an interest in, but remained quiet to let the others meet him. 

Elsa gave a small smile. “No… not exactly, but I am something close to one.” Sarriel’s eyes widened at Elsa’s words, his ears pricked toward her as they centered high on his head and a big smile brightened the room.

Merida gave a wide smile. “Hi Sarriel!” Merida had fallen in love with this kid from when he had jumped excitedly at the thought of the Tavern. He could be purple with pink polkadots, and she wouldn’t care. “I’m Merida!”

Sarriel smiled. “Hi! I like your bow.”

Merida grinned. “ Thank ya. Me Da’ gave it to me. Do ya wan’ ta learn?” Tyra gave a slight smile at the offer and looked at Sarriel.

Sarriel cocked his head to the side, his ears pricked high on his head. “You can teach me?” He asked, and when Merida nodded, he grinned excitedly, what they assumed was a tail slipping out from under his cloak and wagging. “Yes please! I want to learn!” When they got a close look at his tail, they noticed it was reptilian in nature with green scales on the upperside and white scales on the underbelly. 

Jack looked at the kid from a different angle, keeping his gaze on his humanoid green eyes. It was strange to see human eyes on something so animalistic. Sarriel, looked at him out of the corner of his eye, then turned to look at him. “Hello!” Tyra turned her gaze to him as well. 

Jack still seemed taken aback by their gaze. “Hey, kiddo.” He grinned weakly. 

Sarriel giggled. “You remind me of my Grandpa!” Jack raised an eyebrow at him, keeping his gaze locked on the little creature’s. 

Tyra blushed deeply, then swayed the conversation. “Well, since it seems like this won’t be a problem, we can talk about our other rules.” She called the waiter over and ordered the food, just ordering six of the same things and one that was special. She returned her gaze to the group. “I didn’t think this particular group would be opposed to a fae since you are travelling with a Fae and two of The Touched anyway, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.” 

The group all felt confusion settle over them, but didn’t broach the subject until Merida spoke. “Wha’ is a Fae?” 

Elsa looked at the firey red head. “And what is The Touched?”

Tyra looked at Merida, then Elsa with a look of plain shock crossing her face. She looked at Sarriel, who was too preoccupied taking sips from his drink that had just been placed down to notice, then to the group again as the waiter merely put down the rest of the drinks. Tyra didn’t even look at the waiter as she said, “Thank you, Linus,” absentmindedly. She looked the group over again. “You all are really not from around here, are you?” She reached over and took a gulp from her drink, then rubbed her forehead. “I kinda guessed, but Damn.” She let out an exasperated sigh. “All right then.” She motioned toward Sarriel. “This is a Fae.” She pointed at Jack. “This is also a Fae.” Jack’s eyes widened. “In the most basic of definitions, Fae are creatures that can wield magic. They aren’t visible unless they want to be, or in some cases, they are believed in. They can sense one another pretty easily, and can give their powers to humans. There are some… Morality requirements as well, but… they are a little complicated for first hearing about Fae.” She paused, taking a breath. “The Touched are humans that have been given powers by a Fae, and they have very similar properties.” She glanced around the table. She gestured to Rapunzel, “You,” then to Elsa, “And you are both members of the Touched, which means you have powers of some sort.” 

Elsa blushed deeply, while Rapunzel beamed. “How did you know that?” 

Tyra looked to Elsa, who had asked the question and answered, “Well, I am one of The Touched as well. There are many in Herdinian that are part of The Touched, considering this is supposedly where the first person was gifted powers by a Fae.” Tyra glanced up, noticing the waiter coming with their food. “I shall explain in more detail later.”

The group backed away from the table when their food came, as they had been subconsciously leaning over the tabletop. As the meals were set down, they took in the sight of the food. It was a simple meal, but the royals, having not eaten anything of substance in days, eyed the dishes hungrily. What appeared to be a meat stew was set in front of them in bowls made of dark colored bread. The stew was also a dark color, with meat, fat, pieces of barley and what appeared to be white chopped carrots. Merida dove right in, not even trying to be polite in anyway, taking the bowl in her hands and drinking the stew straight from the bowl. Rapunzel glanced to Merida, taking the spoon and tasting the stew, before her eyes lit up, while the spoon was still in her mouth. Elsa raised an eyebrow at Rapunzel, glancing at the food with a questioning look, before Rapunzel removed the spoon before answering Elsa’s silent query. “There are parsnips in this! I love parsnips.” She answered, blushing. She took another bite, to get her mind off of the embarrassment of having eyes on her for a moment. Tyra gave a small smile before taking a bite from her own stew. She had had it many times, and it was just as it normally was to her. Hiccup merely ate in silence, seeming to mull over the information they had all just received, and Jack just sat and turned his gaze to the little… “Fae.” He seemed to have a plate different from everyone else, a wooden slab in front of him with, what appeared to be, several small cooked snails. He grinned, taking one from the slab and popping into his mouth, shell and all. Jack raised an eyebrow, which somehow caught Rapunzel’s attention. Rapunzel turned and looked at Sarriel’s plate as well, chewing as she stopped, glancing from the little boy to his food. Rapunzel swallowed, not looking sick, but looking concerned. “Is um… Is that what you always eat, Sarriel?” She asked.

Sarriel looked up at her, one of the snails in his paw. “Um… No.” They couldn’t tell, but he flushed under his fur. 

Tyra observed this, then jumped to answer. “We don’t eat like this all the time, so, I let him get his snails here. He can eat the same things we can, but he um… He really likes these.” Tyra blushed, “They aren’t so bad, actually.” They sat in silence for a moment, eating or looking at one another with awkward gestures. Elsa hadn’t really eaten yet, but was so hungry, she finally took a bite. She made no sign of liking or disliking it, and merely continued to eat as regally as one could with this kind of meal. Tyra stopped, settling down and putting her hands on the table, fingers intertwined and looking ready for business. “All right. Since you all seem… generally fine about my son, let us discuss business.” Tyra’s face, which had been genuine and soft only moments earlier seemed to harden at the talk of business. Sarriel looked at his mother in concern, then looked down, taking another snail and keeping his gaze low. “I have a few other conditions if you are to travel with me.” 

Elsa had pushed her barely touched meal to the side, her elbows on the table and fingers interlaced in front of her mouth as she kept her gaze upon this new person. “We do not have any money, if that is what you want.” Elsa stated coldly.

Tyra gave a slight grin. “I assumed as much, Miss Elsa, so I-”

“Queen.” Elsa interrupted. “Queen Elsa.”

Tyra remained silent for a moment, narrowing her eyes, and giving a curt nod. “Fine.” Tyra sat up a little straighter. Elsa noticed this, her ice pricking at the table slightly in annoyance. Tyra noticed, and gave her what looked like a small smirk, which only made Elsa’s ice spread a little more. Tyra continued as if nothing had happened, a slightly smug smirk on her face. “I assumed that none of you had money. The conditions I have are for how we will carry on as we travel together.” She paused, making sure she had everyone’s attention. “When we stop in a village for a longer amount of time, we will all work to earn money. That money will go into a pool for us to buy supplies, and if you have any specific requests and we have the money, just ask and I will get it.” She paused once again, glancing to Sarriel. “I also understand that, at the moment, it may be against better judgement to explain to me what exactly your ‘very important business’ is, but considering that none of you seem to be from around these parts and know none of the countries…” She sighed, “Let us just say, that if something comes to a fight, I will assist you, but Sarriel will not.” She paused once again. “This place is not peaceful. None of the countries here are, save for Gercerwan, but… that is because it is the Domain of the Fae.” Tyra looked across the table. 

Rapunzel broke the silence this time, “You mentioned Herdinian earlier, and now Gercerwan. Those are both countries right?” Tyra looked at her and gave a gentle nod. “Is Gabranth the King of Herdinian?” 

Tyra looked at her in disbelief and slight fear. Tyra let out a light scoff of a laugh before her small smile faded when she realized they weren’t joking. Tyra glanced at each of their faces, then landed lastly on Rapunzel. “He wishes.” Tyra paused. “He is the King of Teerbrill, the country to the north. Did you all… cross the border from Teerbrill to Herdinian?” She asked, mostly to herself, since it seemed they probably didn’t know. “That’s a tough border to cross… How the hell did you-” She looked at each of them in turn, Sarriel’s head snapping up at the curse, his ears pricked atop his head. Tyra looked at him. “That’s not a word you can use, Sarri.” Sarriel made a grumbling sound akin to that of a dog, then turned his attention back to his snails. Tyra let out a sigh, returning her gaze to them. “Have you met him or just heard rumors?” Tyra asked, almost in a panic. 

The group shifted slightly, all looking at one another uneasily. Elsa was the first to answer. “Queen Rapunzel and I requested an audience with him, and the guards showed us to him immediately.” 

Tyra’s eyes seemed to widen. “And… how did he react to your presence?” 

They were silent for a few moments, Rapunzel answering, “He… um… he wasn’t enthused about seeing us. At all.” 

Tyra’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “How did you- He just… let you go?” Sarriel looked up now, looking at his mother, then at the rest of the group. 

Jack looked at the others, then answered, “Not exactly.” He turned to face Tyra when her eyes and the little fae’s were on him. “His Princess let them go and assisted them.”

Tyra nodded, bringing her intertwined fingers to cover her mouth as if she went into deep thought. “Princess Freya is the best thing for that country… I’m surprised someone hasn’t tried to get rid of-” She paused, eyes widening, then slowly bringing her gaze to every one of them in turn. Hiccup and Elsa looked away and down, while the others seemed to have a steely eyed resolve. She looked at Sarriel, who seemed confused by all this, and she gave him a weak smile, patting his head gently, her eyes betraying her shock. She glanced from Sarriel to the rest of them. “Sarriel, go to the cart.” 

Sarriel looked up disdainfully. “But Momma-”

“No buts, Sarriel. Go to the cart.” Tyra stated sternly, which got another grumble from him, even as he pulled on his scarf, mittens, and cloak, getting down from the chair and heading out, the bell above the door jingling as he left. She returned her gaze to the group. “This… business of yours,” she sighed before continuing, “from what I understand, has been attempted before, and I should warn you, it will be almost impossible.” She glanced around the room. “But, you have my support, and the support of many others, I am sure. If this is something you truly need to do, then I will help you along the way as best as I can.” She glanced away. “On my honor.” She looked back. “However little it may be.” 

They all seemed to relax at her words, looking at one another in a sort of dread at the fact that something like this had been attempted before. A silence fell over the table, and the waiter came over, smiling and greeting Tyra like a friend once more. Tyra feigned a smile and paid the man, before turning her gaze up from the tabletop to their faces once again at the sound of Merida clearing her throat. “We have no idea wot we’re goin’ to do about this atall.”

Tyra grinned. “Oh, trust me, I have some ideas.” She stated, her smirk returning.

It was then that Hiccup let out an exclamation. “Oh! What is your policy on…” he hesitated, trying to find the right word, “Animals?” 

Tyra looked at him, taken aback by the subject change. “Animals are fine, as long as there aren’t, say, a clydesdale for each of you.” Tyra raised an eyebrow.

Hiccup, glanced around the group, all of them looking at him. He gave a sheepish smile. “How would you feel about a dragon?”


End file.
